Digital printing machines may include platens, or pallets, on which items to be printed, such as garments, are positioned for printing.
The conventional platens used in known digital printing machines are formed as substantially flat beds, i.e., having a substantially horizontal upper surface area. Conventional platens for garments are sized and shaped to hold a single garment and to present a single surface of the garment (such as a shirt front, a shirt back, or a shirt sleeve) to the printing head(s) of the printing machine. Thus, conventional platens only allow printing on a single surface of a single garment during a given printing operation.
The limitation of printing on a single surface of a single garment results in printing inefficiencies. In order to print on multiple garments, each garment must be positioned on a platen and printed one at a time. In order to print on multiple surfaces of a single garment, the garment must undergo multiple printing operations, and must be repositioned on a platen or placed on a different platen for each printing operation. These constraints can result in excessively long printing times and require a greater amount of manual labor than desired.
In view of the above, it is desirable to provide a digital printing machine having a platen assembly that enables printing on multiple garment portions or surfaces in a single printing operation.